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Butane vs Propane – Is Propane the Same as LPG

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Home 9 Business LPG Blogs 9 Butane vs Propane – Is Propane the Same as LPG

29 Aug, 2024 | Business LPG Blogs, Residential LPG Blogs

In this article:

Butane vs Propane? Propane vs LPG? What are the differences? We help clear away the confusion. Learn more...

Is Propane the Same as LPG – Butane vs Propane

Is Propane the Same as LPG? Propane is LPG but not all LPG is propane.

LPG – Liquefied Petroleum Gas – is flammable hydrocarbon gas liquefied through pressurization.

Butane vs Propane: Butane and propane are both LPG gases.

LPG comes from natural gas processing and oil refining.

Propane is classified as LPG, along with butane, isobutane and mixtures of these gases.

LPG is frequently used for fuel in heating, cooking, hot water and vehicles.

Difference Between Butane vs Propane

The biggest difference between butane vs propane is their boiling point.
Propane boils at -42°C whilst butane boils at -0.4°C.
Pressure is the other big difference, as propane has much higher pressures at any given temperature. 
Butane is more dense, with a specific gravity of 2.07 as compared to propane at 1.55.
The difference in boiling temperature means that propane performs much better in cold weather, as butane stops working below freezing.
The lower pressures generated by butane make it more popular as an aerosol propellant.
The difference in specific gravity means that butane weighs about 14% more for any given volume.
These differences and others are shown in the table of properties below:
Butane vs Propane Properties
Gas Properties Butane Propane
Chemical Formula C4H10 C3H8
Energy Content: MJ/m3 111.4 95.8
Energy Content: MJ/kg 47.39 49.58
Energy Content: MJ/L 27.5 25.3
Boiling Temp: Cº -0.4 -42
Pressure @ 21ºC: kPa 215.1 858.7
Flame Temp: Cº 1970 1967
Expansion: m3/L 0.235 0.270
Gas Volume: m3/kg 0.405 0.540
Relative Density: H2O 0.58 0.51
Relative Density: air 2.00 1.53
L per kg 1.724 1.96
kg per L 0.58 0.51
Specific Gravity @ 25ºC 2.07 1.55
Density @ 15ºC: kg/m3 2.544 1.899
Note: Some numbers have been rounded.
 

Is LPG Propane? Propane vs LPG

Is LPG Propane? There is no difference when comparing propane vs LPG in Australia or the USA. The difference in terminology causes a lot of confusion, in Australia, if an appliance is says it is made for use with propane, as most people use the term LPG. No problem in the USA, as they use the term Propane.
 
Many of the gas appliances sold in Australia are manufactured overseas.
 
So, you get it home, open the box, start to read the owner’s manual and there it is!
 
It says that the appliance is made for use with Propane.
 
But where do you buy Propane in Australia?
 

The Name Game

Propane vs LPGThe bad news is that this causes a lot of confusion and concern.
 
The good news is that propane is readily available in Australia, we just call it LPG.
 
Propane is LPG, so no worries!
 
Propane is the gas that is supplied to virtually all homes and most businesses that purchase LPG in Australia.
 
It is supplied in gas bottles that are either exchanged or refilled on site by tankers.
 
When used for a BBQ, it can be refilled or exchanged for a full one in a swap scheme. 
 
These are typically 9kg bottles.  SWAP’n’GO BBQ gas bottles are a good example of a swap system.
 
In Australia, LPG goes by a number of names including LPG, LPG gas, bottled gas, Propane, BBQ gas, camping gas and LP gas, so it can be quite confusing.

However, it’s all the same gas.

 

7 Important LPG Facts

LPG gas fireplace1. LPG is the acronym for Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Liquid Petroleum Gas.

2. LPG is a group of flammable hydrocarbon gases, including propane and butane, that are liquefied through pressurisation and commonly used as fuel.

3. It comes from natural gas processing and petroleum refining.

4. There are a number of gases that fall under the “LPG” label, including propane, butane and isobutane (i-butane), as well as mixtures of these gases.

5. These gases can all be compressed into liquid at relatively low pressures.

6. It is frequently used for fuel in heating, cooking, hot water and vehicles, as well as for refrigerants, aerosol propellants and petrochemical feedstock.

7. It is generally stored, as a liquid, in steel vessels ranging from small BBQ gas bottles to larger gas cylinders and storage tanks.

 

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Propane (LPG) is Not Natural Gas

Natural Gas - Methane molecule LPG, which is propane, is not to be confused with Natural Gas, which is primarily Methane.
 
When Natural Gas is initially extracted from the ground it may also contain Ethane, Propane, Butane, Pentane and
Pentanes Plus.
 
Most of these are usually stripped out for other specific applications before the natural gas is passed along through the pipelines.
 
Impurities are also removed, including water and Sulphur.
 
The chemical formula for Methane is CH4 (Methane molecule model shown).
 

Butane vs Propane – How Do They Work?

Propane for leisure Considering butane vs propane, both are stored under pressure, as a liquid, in a gas bottle.

It turns back into gas vapour when you release some of the pressure in the gas bottle by turning on your gas appliance.

Almost all of the uses for them involve the use of the gas vapour, not the liquefied gas.

Butane vs Propane Uses

LPG is used for cookingExamining butane vs propane, they have hundreds, if not thousands, of uses.

The uses most people can name are around the home, in their cars or for business.

It is used in leisure time activities including caravans, boats, recreational vehicles, hot air balloons and camping.

Business and industry use them for a multitude of processes including steam boilers, kilns, ovens and gas forklifts.

Crop and produce drying, heating greenhouses, hot water for dairies, irrigation pumps and heating animal enclosures are just some of the agricultural applications.

There are also many, many more applications, including autogas, power generation and the hospitality industry.

 

Butane vs Propane Temperature Sensitivity

Propane molecule

Butane vs propane becomes a big issue in cold weather.

In Australia, we are lucky that we use Propane because it has some advantages over Butane. (Propane molecule model shown)

 
The most important advantage is that Propane works better in cold weather. as previously mentioned.
 
It is a liquid under pressure in the gas bottle.
 
It turns to vapour when you turn on the appliance and relieve some of the pressure, but only if it is above its boiling point.
 
Propane boils at around -42°C, so it would need to be really cold for it to not vapourise.
 
Butane, on the other hand, boils at about  -1°C, so you could wake up on a cold winter morning with no working gas.
 
No fun at all!
 

Butane vs Propane Mixtures

Butane Molecule

Looking at butane vs propane mixtures, if you are reading this blog from another country, LPG may not be just Propane for you.

It could be butane.  (Butane molecule model shown)

Some countries get a mixture of Propane and Butane.
 
Other countries, like the UK, sell both butane and propane, separately.
 
Both are hydrocarbon gases and both are a Liquefied Petroleum Gas, so the mixture of the two still meets the definition of LPG.
 
For the tech heads out there, their chemical formulas are C3H8, for Propane, and C4H10, for Butane.
 

Autogas is Different

The exception to the rule is “autogas”, which is what you buy at the servo for your gas powered car.
 
Autogas can be pure Propane or it can be a mixture or Propane and Butane.
 
Either should work equally well, as the Propane component is typically 60% or more.
Eric Hahn
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Steve Reynolds

Technical Consultant

Steve Reynolds is a leading expert in the LPG industry with over 22 years of experience. As part of the national management team at ELGAS, Steve ensures the safe and efficient storage, handling, and transportation of LPG. He serves as the lead investigator for incidents and collaborates with authorities on industry developments.

Steve is a technical advisor to Standards Australia and Gas Energy Australia (GEA), and an active member of the World LPG Association (WLPGA), contributing to global standards and technical reviews. He holds a BSc. (Hons) in Industrial Chemistry from UNSW and has held senior safety and technical roles at ELGAS, making him a trusted authority in LPG safety and standards.